More than 600 University of Southern Mississippi students fanned out across Hattiesburg last Saturday morning to assist with cleaning, painting, landscaping and other tasks as part of the Fourth Annual Big Event community service project.

The students spent half a day performing various assignments at nine different locations in the Hattiesburg area. The Big Event is sponsored by the Student Government Association at Southern Miss.

The Provost’s Office is asking Southern Miss students and faculty to assist in the Fall 2012 Textbook Survey that is now available on SOAR. Faculty and students will find separate surveys, which must be completed before midnight on Friday, April 19 to be included in the final results.

Members of the faculty are asked to make their students aware of the survey. As an incentive to students, a $100 VISA gift card will be presented to two randomly selected students from those who complete the textbook survey.

The University of Southern Mississippi Graduate School and the Graduate Student Senate will host the annual Graduate Student Research Symposium in the Thad Cochran Center from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, March 21. An awards luncheon will be held in the Thad Cochran Center Ballroom from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

The Student Government Association (SGA) at the University of Southern Mississippi is hosting The Big Event Saturday, March 23, the fourth year for the city-wide community service project.

Students involved with the Student Government Association lead the volunteer effort, working with many Hattiesburg agencies that will benefit from their services, including Thames Elementary School, Edwards Street Food Pantry, Oseola McCarty Youth Development Center and the Salvation Army.

A memorial service for University of Southern Mississippi students, faculty and staff who passed away during the academic year will be held on the Hattiesburg campus Tuesday, March 5 at 6:30 p.m. in the Thad Cochran Center, room 218.

The Student Dietetic Association within the Department of Nutrition and Food Systems at The University of Southern Mississippi sponsored an “Eat Well Hattiesburg” Nutrition and Fitness Fair on Feb. 23 at Pride Field on the Hattiesburg campus.

The event was designed to introduce the Hattiesburg community to vendors that provide healthy nutrition and food options in the Pine Belt. The student group also sought to supply a venue for all ages to come enjoy themselves and learn about nutrition and fitness.

A week after an F-4 tornado destroyed his Hattiesburg home and damaged The University of Southern Mississippi campus, Willie Pierce met with an insurance claims adjuster at his 34th Avenue residence, now a pile of rubble, to assess his material losses.

University of Southern Mississippi marketing seniors Chelsea Thomas and Mikel Mangipano were part of a team that captured first place honors in the 2nd Annual Startup Weekend competition held Jan. 18-20 in Jackson, Miss.

The National Pan-Hellenic Council at the University of Southern Mississippi honored an annual commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with service to the Hattiesburg community on Monday, Jan. 21.

A faculty member with an exemplary record of research and service in public health and an Honors College student heading to medical school are The University of Southern Mississippi’s recipients of the annual Higher Education Appreciation Day, Working for Academic Excellence (HEADWAE) award.

The College of Nursing at The University of Southern Mississippi added a memorable chapter to its storied history by welcoming the inaugural class of the Nurse Anesthesia Program to the Hattiesburg campus.

The National Commission for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) has awarded The University of Southern Mississippi continued accreditation, affirming its teacher education programs meet the organization’s rigorous standards for excellence.

Youngsters at The Children’s Center for Communication and Development wasted no time delving into the large stack of books donated by the Library and Information Science Student Association at The University of Southern Mississippi on Wednesday, Dec. 12.

Nabanita Mukherjee, a second year masters student at The University of Southern Mississippi, won a second place award for Best Poster in Medical, Urban, & Veterinary Entomology Section of the Entomological Society of America (ESA) 2012 annual meeting last month in Knoxville, Tenn.

University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg campus students, faculty or staff seeking treatment for the flu or other medical issues can visit the Student Health Services’ Beedie Smith Clinic this weekend only, Saturday, Dec. 8 or Sunday, Dec. 9 from 2-5 p.m., in addition to the clinic’s regular weekday hours. The clinic’s pharmacy will also be open both days.

Dr. Richard W. Meiring, assistant dean for Admissions and Student Affairs at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Mississippi State University recently visited The University of Southern Mississippi campus to speak with healthcare preprofessional students interested in veterinary medicine.

The Office of Community Service Learning (OCSL) at The University of Southern Mississippi joined forces with several other campus entities on Nov. 15 for the 2nd Annual Food Packaging event as part of Stop Hunger Now.

Nothing conveys the holiday spirit more than the festive “Lighting the Way for the Holidays” and “Songfest” events held annually at The University of Southern Mississippi. The public is invited to attend this year’s free festivities, set for Thursday, Nov. 29 at the Hattiesburg campus.

Activities for the 6th Annual “Lighting the Way” program begin at 5 p.m. with performances set to commence at 5:30 p.m. The event is sponsored by the Student Government Association (SGA) at Southern Miss. The 61st Annual Chi Omega Songfest will be held at 6:30 p.m. in Reed Green Coliseum.

University of Southern Mississippi student Daniel Hinton, a senior chemistry major from Petal, Miss., has been accepted into a new program called “Chemistry Opportunities (CHOPs)" at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Chemistry Department.